Dear Diary
by silthara
Summary: To alleviate being bored, Ruby decides to pick out a book from Blake's bookcase. When Ruby comes across a diary, what will she find?
1. Chapter 1

**I got the idea of doing a diary story from reading Barzu's RWBY fic, Mighter than the Sword. Barzu, thank you for the inspiration. :) I have been away from writing for too long!**

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><p>Ruby was sitting at the table in her teams dorm. She stared at her engineering homework. It consisted of equations for determining ballistic impacts and trajectories. She laid face down into her arms. "Ugh, this stuff is so boring.", she said to an empty room as she reluctantly picked herself back up.<p>

As she glanced at the problems, her mind whirled and solved them all in a flash. "If only I could write as quick as my brain works.", she thought as she idlely sat and procrastinated on her homework. An idea struck her brain at high speed.

"Wait...quick? I can be quick!", thought Ruby as she picked up her pencil. With a short burst of semblance, she began to blow through problem after problem. In under a minute of quick scribbles, she had finished the entirety of her engineering homework.

With her homework out of the way, she glanced around the empty dorm room and realized that a part of her initial problem still existed. She was still bored and, without her homework to occupy her, she had nothing else to do during the weekend.

As she contemplated what to do with her free time, her eyes came to rest on the bookcase next to Blake and Yang's makeshift bunk-bed. Curiousity getting the better of her, she moved to look at Blake's books. Sitting crosslegged, she began to go through book after book in the hope of finding one to alleviate her bordem.

"Treasure Island? Read it. Charlotte's Web? Read this. The Phantom Tollbooth? No. A Wrinkle in Time? Definitely no.", muttered the young girl as she pulled out book after book. She took great care to keep her friend's books in the same order that they had been in before she pulled them out.

It wasn't until she had gone through and pulled out several books before she noticed something. There was a book hidden behind the books that she had just pulled out. With curiousity peaking, again, she pulled out the hidden book. "Ninjas of Love?" she inquired as she read the title.

Not being familiar with the title, she opened the book and began reading. Almost immediately, she closed the book and returned it to it's hidden place.

The book had started out with a steamy love scene. As a blush spread across her face, she felt her body slightly react to the unexpected stimulation. "Wrong place, not the right time. Distraction. Need distraction!", frantically thought the girl as she forced her focus on the other books in the bookcase.

She pulled out several more books and passed them off to the growing stack next to her spot on the floor. After pulling a few more books, she spied another hidden book. Tentatively, she reached out and picked up the book.

The book was a small leatherbound book. The leather itself had been stitched into the book. She could tell the book had seen better days. The leather looked a bit worn in places and even had a small black mark near the bottom of the spine.

Careful to avoid her earlier reading mishap, she read only the first sentence. To her surprise, she greeted by the sight of messy handwriting. "A diary?", she asked as she stared at the page, not sure what to make of unintentionally invading Blake's privacy. The next line caught her attention. Then, the line after it pulled her in as well.

_Date 5, 19_

_Dear diary,_

_Today is my birthday. Mom woke me up and handed you to me. Then she told me happy birthday and gave me a hug. She told me that diaries are used to hold thoughts and can be like a friend who you can tell anything. That makes me happy._

She started to feel guilty about reading Blake's diary, like she was invading something very deep and personal. So, she started to close the diary. That is, until something on the second page caught her attention.

_Date 5, 22_

_Dear diary,_

_Dad said it's not safe. He said we have to leave. Mom would only let me take one thing. So I took you diary. When they took me to the backyard, I heard something like glass break. I tried to look and saw something orange but dad wouldn't let me look. He said we can't go back._

"Why did they have to leave?", she pondered as she continued reading the diary. By this point, she was hooked by curiousity and kept reading without a second thought.

_Date 5, 26_

_Dear diary,_

_When I ask mom if we can go home, she says we can't go back. Dad said it's because of the humans. We don't have a home but I still have my friend. That's you diary._

Confused, she re-read the previous page and realized what happened. She stopped reading and felt her hand slowly lifting towards her mouth. She was in shock at the words of the child that had once been Blake.

"Breaking glass and seeing orange...Blake's home got burnt down? People hate the Faunus that much?", she asked as sadness filled her voice. The girl felt as if someone had her heart in their hand and was squeezing it. Still, she read on.

_Date 5, 27_

_Dear diary,_

_Dad found a house with an open window. Later, it started raining. I'm glad we found the house. I don't want my friend to get wet. The carpet feels good after sleeping on the cold ground. I hope you feel the same way diary._

_Date 5, 28_

_Dear diary,_

_We had looked around the house but it was totally empty. I want to look out the windows but dad says it's not safe. Mom had taken some food before we left home but it's almost gone. Mom wanted to get more food from the store. Dad said something but I couldn't hear what he said. They talked for a little while but they stop talking when I come in the room. Why do they do that?_

_When I got bored, I started looking around the house. In a closet, I found a box filled with books. The books are hard to read so I asked mom to help me. She sat down and read to me._

When she flipped the page, she was greeted by a much longer account than the previous pages had held. Her gut told her this page would either be very good or very bad for little Blake.

_Date 5, 30_

_Dear diary,_

_When I woke up, I could smell food. When I saw the open cans of tuna, I felt my tummy rumble. Dad handed me a fork. I noticed that mom and dad weren't eating. When I asked why they weren't eating, they told me they already ate. That doesn't sound right. We're a family. We always eat together. Always._

_When I finished eating, mom told me that we're going to the docks. I asked why and dad said we're going to take a ride on a boat. Mom said we're going to see our new home. I asked if we could stay in the house and dad said no. I liked that house. It felt like home. I wanted to stay. _

_I asked mom if I could take the box of books. She told me I could only take one. When I chose a book, mom told me it was called Treasure Island. An island of treasure sounds exciting! Don't you think so too diary?_

_After I chose my new book, dad said it was time to leave. Before we left, I said goodbye to our little house._

The teen paused at the end of the page and glanced at the stack of books next to her. She carefully extracted the book that she had just read about from the stack of books. As she inspected 'Treasure Island', she began to notice signs of abuse and age along the book's cover. After her inspection of the book, she carefully put the books back into the bookcase and turned the page to continue reading the diary.

Before she started to read the next page, she noticed a few odd things about the page. One, there were several tiny ripples in the page. Two, there were a few small brown stains near the bottom of the page. Three, the bottom half of the page was written in messier handwriting than the rest. "I guess she wrote in the diary through out the day?", she pondered before she went back to reading .

_When we got to the dock, I couldn't believe how many boats there were! They were everywhere and so big! When we got on the boat, I could feel it moving. When I asked mom why, she said it was because the boat was in the water._

_A man took us to a room. When I asked mom who they were, she said he was a sailor and that he helped other sailors with stuff on the boat. Then mom said she would read Treasure Island to me. _

_I got scared when mom read about how pirates stole the boat and asked mom if that would happen to us. She said it wouldn't happen and gave me a hug. Mom even rubbed my ears. I would have rubbed mom's ears if they were like my ears._

She paused again as she imagined a frightened child being held by a mother that gently stroked their child's kitty ears. The mental image warmed her heart. Then, anxiety set in as she realized that her friend had never breathed even a single word about their parents. She looked at the diary and felt that her question could only be answered by reading further or by asking Blake.

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><p><strong>I have no clue where the fuck I am going with this. It's just an idea that has pestered me so bad that I can't even focus on college stuff.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter came from a random night of drinking and awesome music. Don't ask me how. I don't know either.

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><p>Ruby was no longer sure reading the diary was something she should have been doing. Blake had always been tight-lipped about her past. Now, she held a key to the door that led to Blake's past. It scared her a little. Still, she read on.<p>

_Date 6, 1_

_Dear diary,_

_I didn't do much today. When I woke up, I felt sick. Dad said it could be the way the boat moves. I just stayed in the room. Moving around only made me feel worse._

She paused for a moment. "I wonder if Blake's like Jaune but with ships?", she pondered out loud. It certainly sounded like that to her.

_Date 6, 2_

_Dear diary,_

_I felt better today. Mom showed me around the boat. It looked big from the outside but it's even bigger on the inside!_

_Mom walked around the boat with me and we saw all kinds of neat things. A place called the cargo hold was the biggest thing we saw. There were so many boxes! A man said they held many kinds of things. He said they held things like food, dust, and metals._

_We also went to a place called the deck. It was kind of scary. There was water as far as I could see. Mom said there were all kinds of fish_ _swimming around below us. She called it the ocean and said it was their home. Imagine diary. A home so large you can't see where it starts or ends. When I thought about it like being a home, I wasn't scared any more._

_Date: 6, 2_

_Dear diary,_

_There isn't much to do on the boat. So mom kept reading to me. Remember how I said the pirates took over a boat? The pirates even went to bury treasure! It's just so cool! Being stuck on an island with pirates and treasure. I wonder if something exciting like that will happen to me one day?_

_I bet hunters and huntresses have interesting things happen to them. I've heard about them from my parents but I've never seen one. I wonder what they're like? Would they hate me for being a faunus? Would they give me mean looks and call me an animal like other humans have done?_

_Dad says that not all humans are bad and I believe him. They dedicate their lives to protecting people. How could someone like that be a bad person?_

Ruby stopped reading and sat there, looking at the diary entry. She felt a lone tear roll down her cheek as she felt her chest clench up. Sadness gripped her heart with it's icy claws. "For a kid to ask something like that..." she trailed off as she re-read the entry. When she blinked, she felt another tear begin it's downward journey. She turned the page.

_Date: 6, 3_

_Dear diary,_

_I asked my parents where the boat is going. They said it's going to a place called Vale. Mom said it's a huge city with lots and lots of people. I asked her if it was as big as the ocean. She laughed and told me that it's not that big. I wonder what will happen when we get there?_

_When I said that, dad told me that I would being going to a place called school. He said school is a place where I get to learn about cool stuff with other kids. Like the weather, why it rains, and all kinds of things. When he told me about it, I got really excited. I couldn't help it. School really sounds like fun!_

She felt the tugging of a smile as she remembered her first week at Signal Academy. "She's right. It is always fun to see new places and try new things.", she said as she thought of her friends that were still attending her old academy. "I bet everyone can't wait to come to Beacon.", she said, a full blown smile on her face as she turned the page and continued reading.

However, the questions that child Blake had posed still gnawed at her. Given what little that Blake had told her, she knew it wouldn't be the last of those kinds of questions. Ultimately, she was sure it was questions like those which drove her friend to joining the White Fang.

_Date: 6, 4_

_Dear diary,_

_It's getting too boring to be on a boat. While seeing everything inside the boat was exciting, it's been three days now. Mom finished reading Treasure Island to me but now I have nothing to do. Dad said I was being something. I don't know how to spell it. I just know it sounds like what you would call someone seeing the doctor._

She sympathized with the bored child but she couldn't see Blake being impatient. It also led her to question if Blake would read to help pass the time. Before she went back to reading the diary, she glanced at 'Ninjas of Love' and wondered if that was the only reason Blake would read that kind of book.

_Mom said that I could try to make up stories like Treasure Island. When I couldn't think of a story, mom had me sit next to her so she could tell me a story. When I sat next to her, she started rubbing my ears. She told me it was a story about a girl who grew up fighting monsters. The girl had many friends who battled the monsters with her._

_I asked mom why and she said they fought because they had to. If they didn't fight the monsters, the monsters would break their home. She said that the monsters kept coming back and broke their home one day. Lots of people got hurt but the girl kept fighting the monsters to protect them._

_It took the girl a long time but she chased off the monsters. After seeing her home couldn't be fixed, the girl and her friends had to make a new home in a new place. Mom told me that the people made their new home in a thick forest with big trees all over. She said the trees were always a pretty red color and would always drop their leaves. I hope it's a real place. It sounded wonderful._

_Diary, I wish I could tell you the rest but that's all I remember mom telling me. Some times I fall asleep when mom rubs my ears. It just feels so good when she does that._

She stopped reading when she felt her stomach asserting it's demands for food. Though she wanted to continue reading, she relented to the needs of her body and used her homework as a bookmark. Satisfied, she pulled her secret cookie stash from underneath her uniforms stored in the bottom dresser drawer. Cookie tin in hand, she pulled herself into the top bunk she had claimed for herself and settled down with her back against the cool wall.

After opening the diary and setting aside her homework, she popped open the cookie tin as she thought about when her mother would tell stories or read to her. She would wrap her cloak tightly around her body, snuggle in between her mother and sister, and quietly listen. While she always enjoyed the stories, her mother always had a plate of freshly baked cookies ready to go. With memories of her mother starting to flow, she began reading while occasionally munching on a cookie, a faint smile gracing her lips.

_Date: 6, 5_

_Dear diary,_

_We finally reached Vale and I couldn't be happier. When we got off the boat, I couldn't see an end to the dock. It was like the ocean. As far as I could see, I saw boat after boat. There were even people getting off of other boats. I wanted to look around but mom made me hold her hand. Dad said it's so I wouldn't get lost. It was a really big place so I believe him._

_When we left the dock, I was in for a surprise. There were people everywhere I looked! I mean it diary. I've never seen so many people in one place. We passed by dust shops, food stalls, clothing stores, and all kinds of other places._

_There was so much stuff in all of those places that I just had to know where it all came from. Dad told me that boats like the one we rode on bring things to Vale. Shops buy those things and sell them to people like us. Mom told me what it was called but I don't remember what she called it._

She stopped reading and thought about the various places she had visited in Vale. "I never really thought about where everything comes from. Leave it to Blake to be curious about everything.", she said before grabbing a cookie as she started reading again.

_We stopped walking when we came to a place called Joe's Diner. Mom and dad said it was time for lunch. The inside was so loud that it made my ears hurt! I didn't know a place could be that loud! When I tried to cover my ears, mom took me outside and we waited for dad. She told me that we can hear better than humans and the noise from the people was making her ears hurt too._

_When dad came out with food, I could smell that it was different from what mom would cook. I asked dad what it was. He said they're called burgers but they look like sandwiches. We got to eat when we got to a place dad called a motel. They were good but I'd rather eat a tuna sandwich. They're my favorite food._

She couldn't help but giggle as she had seen Blake choose tuna sandwiches for practically every meal they ate together. She had seen Blake change it up a bit by adding different types of cheese, a hard boiled egg, mayo, and all sorts of other things to her sandwiches. However, Blake's sandwiches almost always had tuna thrown in the mix.

She wondered if Blake's love for tuna was much like her own love of cookies. The taste of a cookie always reminded her of a warm room heated by a fire place. In a way, it helped her to remember the image of her mother holding a book, reading to her and her sister. They certainly reminded her of happier days.

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><p>I don't know when I'll have time for another chapter. I have my first of five college finals to work on and it's in XHTMLCSS. While I know the material, the final is going to require a lot of planning and design work. Wish me luck?


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